Posts Tagged ‘spare room’

A reader recently commented that most of my recipes are for desserts or for high calorie foods. I guess that is true. It seems at this stage of life I cook a big meal on Sunday and we eat leftovers or planned-overs for several nights during the week. I figure most people probably have a good recipe for meatloaf or spaghetti, pinto beans, etc. Most of the recipes I post are ones that are tried and true and perhaps some that you might not have seen on other sites.

This is exam week here at school. Rob got some kind of virus last week and has been resting a lot, trying to recover. He did go to the doctor and was told that it was not Swine flu (H1 whatever) but a combination of allergies and a virus that is going around.

We also made a few finishing touches in the spare/guest room. We hung some pictures and placed a few decorative objects around the room in preparation for our guests who are to arrive Wednesday evening.

This picture hung in my bedroom when I was a little girl. We had it matted and framed several years ago.

We found these pictures at the same consignment shop where we bought the dresser.

I also have been planning the menus for the nights they will be eating with us and trying to include things that aren't too unusual. We don't know anything about the couple who will be staying with us so it should be an interesting week for all of us!

Over the weekend I did make a lemon pie using a recipe from Sunkist that I have used for many years. It makes a very tasty pie and the method is a bit different than any other lemon pie that I have tried. If you have a few lemons on hand I hope you will give it a try.

In a saucepan mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt with a wire whisk. Gradually blend in cold water and then lemon juice. Add egg yolks, then add margarine or butter. Add boiling water gradually, stirring with a rubber spatula. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring with the spatula. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the grated lemon peel. Pour the hot filling into the baked pie shell. Let this stand while you prepare the meringue.

Beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add the sugar. Return to high speed and beat until the egg whites are fairly stiff but still glossy and soft peaks form. Place the meringue on the hot filling making sure to seal the meringue to the edge of the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 mins. or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Did you know that I have a live-in gardener? It's true. His name is Rob and he has done a wonderful job of transforming our yard into a beautiful place in the almost-five years we have lived here. He has planted flowers, dug beds, mulched, hauled rocks, and done a myriad of other garden-related tasks to improve the terrain. The following pictures will showcase some of his handywork.

Just outside the front door are some beautiful Irises.

Out by the mailbox are some very fragrant Dianthus.

In the flower box that Rob built are some pansies. Our pansies didn't do much this winter but have bloomed their little heads off this spring.

Around on the shady side of the house are some Lenten Roses. We have several kinds with different foliage and colors of flowers. This variety produced an abundance of blooms. They were new to our yard this year.

Around back on the side of our storage shed is Carolina Jasmine.

This rose bush was one grown from a start from a former neighbor's house.

Here are some Sugar Snap Pea blossoms.

This week I finished stitching up a little padded cover for the metal bench on our porch.

I had mentioned in a recent post that we have been working on getting our guest room in shape for guests this spring. Megan and Drew visited recently (as you may recall 🙂 ) and this coming week we are receiving guests from Germany. We found this dresser at a consignment shop last weekend and have it in place in their room so they can stow a few of their things while they are here. We are hoping it will be a pleasant experience for all of us. I'll keep you posted!

Whenever I hear the phrase "spare room" I think of Anne of Green Gables and the night when Anne and Diana frightened the elderly aunt by leaping on the bed in the spare room!

We are in the process of decorating our spare room. We moved into this house nearly five years ago. The house was previously owned by a single lady who married a widower and moved into his home. The house was immaculate--not a speck of dust anywhere. We have slowly been painting and changing things to reflect our tastes since we have moved in.

A few months ago we bought a bed frame and mattress, Rob painted the room a nice shade of green, and I bought a quilt and pillow shams. Here's a picture showing the wall color and the quilt:

The project has been on hold for a while so I could figure out what to do about a window treatment. I finally decided to copy one that DD Nora had made earlier for our bathroom. Here's the valence Nora made:

I chose fabrics that were similar to those in the quilt and made this little valance:

We still need a few accessories and a dresser, but the room is slowly taking shape and will be ready for some visitors we are expecting in the next few weeks. We hope to have a comfortable place ready for them when they arrive.